


Beyond the Veil

by honeylune



Series: Some Kind of Beautiful [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Happy Ending, Humor, Jealousy, Light Angst, Marauders, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Mutual Pining, Original Character(s), Possessive Behavior, Possessive Sex, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, but not in a toxic way i promise
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:20:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26141737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeylune/pseuds/honeylune
Summary: Omitted moments from my main Sirmione fic, Some Kind of Beautiful. Moments will include fluff, smut, different POVs, and the occasional angst.Or, your typical Hermione-gets-sent-back-in-time trope but minus the plot.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black & Hermione Granger, Sirius Black/Hermione Granger
Series: Some Kind of Beautiful [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1898299
Comments: 42
Kudos: 183





	1. ch. 14-15: hurricane sirius

**Author's Note:**

> hello and thanks so much for stopping by! this story is a series of behind-the-scenes cuts from my main story, Some Kind of Beautiful. 
> 
> if you’re a reader of this story, thanks for continuing to support me! it means the world to know that y’all want to read extra material. i love you all, and i’m so happy and excited to bring more sirmione to you guys :’) but if you’re a new reader who's just here for some fluff n’ (eventual) smut, you’ve come to the right place lol.
> 
> each chapter will have a short context beforehand, as the moments will definitely not be in a perfect order (oops). i will include plot-related bits from time to time.
> 
> anyways i hope yall enjoy! thanks as always for reading and supporting. xx <33
> 
> (also, if the title scares you, SIRIUS LIVES IN THIS AU lol i just like naming my works after lindsey stirling songs and i thought this one was a fun reference i promise ok x) 
> 
> \--
> 
> context: Sirius and Hermione send each other notes from across the castle. Sirius especially likes bombarding Hermione with these notes when she’s studying in the library with Stephan Diaz, Hermione’s close friend (and Sirius’s least favorite Ravenclaw).
> 
> stage of relationship: friends, mutual pining
> 
> place in main story: between ch 14 & ch 15
> 
> theme song: jealousy by darren criss

“I think you’ve gotten mail, Hermione.”

“What?”

Hermione glanced up from her parchment paper. Stephan, who was sitting in front of her, was turned to the side and watching a small piece of parchment fluttering through the air, weaving through bookshelves to land gently upon their usual table in the back-left corner of the library.

As it was currently Sunday evening, she and Stephan were studying to prepare for that week’s classes. Hermione had a particularly large amount of work due the next couple of days, and yet, she couldn’t help but feel a bit fuzzy on the inside as she saw the note.

“Are those the notes you were talking about, then?” questioned Stephan, “The ones you’ve been exchanging with Sirius. I mean, obviously they are, because what else would they be—but what do you even write to each other about?”

“Oh, nothing in particular,” said Hermione, picking up the folded parchment, “They mostly compose of me asking him sensical questions, like when we’ll be arriving to the Great Hall, and him sending me ridiculous remarks.”

“Sounds about on-brand for Black,” nodded Stephan, “I’ve actually seen them a couple of times, fluttering throughout the hallways. It _is_ a good idea, I must admit. I’ve seen a few other seventh-years try it as well, but not a lot of students can manage the enchantment.”

Hermione smiled at this subtle compliment, “Oh, it’s really not that difficult. If you’ve ever visited the Ministry, it’s the same enchantment the departments use to send their memos each other. It’d likely be easy for you.”

“Hmm. It is true I have a knack for finnicky charms.” Stephan tapped his chin with the tip of his quill in thought. “Maybe I’ll be sending a couple notes myself, then.”

Stephan, of course, was one of Hermione’s closest friends. But the idea of his suggestion just didn’t sit quite right with Hermione—not because she didn’t _want_ to speak with Stephan outside of class, of course, but she felt that this note system she had developed with Sirius was something they had created just between them. To include someone else just felt inherently wrong.

Of course, Hermione also told herself that she shouldn’t be feeling this way towards Sirius at all, and reminded herself that she _definitely_ shouldn’t be reserving certain types of interactions for just her and Sirius—to Hermione, that was a large portion of all romantic relationships, a type of dynamic that she knew well she had to avoid.

But despite this logical chain of thoughts, Hermione still just shrugged and gave Stephan a non-answer to avoid any potential hurt feelings.

“You’re interested in becoming a source of perpetual annoyance and ridiculous remarks?” asked Hermione, raising an eyebrow.

“I wouldn’t be annoying, nor would I be ridiculous. I would be insightful, and delightfully so,” promised Stephan. Hermione just smiled lightly before finally opening Sirius’s note.

> _Hello, it is currently 7:48 in the evening, and yet you have only sent me two notes today. Therefore I am sending this note to request that you give me more attention. x_

Immature as Hermione found Sirius, she couldn’t help but smile reading this.

The following three notes, passed from Hermione, then from Sirius, then from Hermione again, took about twenty-five minutes in total to exchange.

> _Sirius, I’m still in the library with Stephan. We’ll be another hour, and then I’ll be meeting you in the common room. Don’t forget, we still have to practice for your presentation tonight._

Ten minutes passed. Another note came by, but on a smaller piece of parchment.

> _You’re with Diaz? Is he jealous of my incredible note-sending talents?_

Hermione was tempted to snort upon reading this. She wrote back:

> _No, Sirius. He’s even interested in exchanging notes himself. Please stop sending me notes until I get back to the common room._

Hermione sent off this note and returned to her Charms assignment.

Usually, Sirius sent back Hermione’s notes within ten to fifteen minutes. But this time around, Hermione received a note in just five. When she saw the parchment _hurtling_ towards her (and folded into a paper airplane, too), Hermione realized that she likely shouldn’t have mentioned the bit about Stephan in her last note.

The parchment also hit Stephan on his right temple, rather than landing neatly in front of Hermione. Stephan, who hadn’t looked up from his textbook in the past five minutes, started in his seat.

“Merlin, I do wish Black had better aim,” said Stephan, handing the note to Hermione. She took it gingerly into her hands, as if expecting the parchment to explode. Stephan, of course, noticed her unease.

“Alright, Hermione?”

“Yes,” nodded Hermione, unconvinced herself. Perhaps Sirius didn’t intend to send this note with such intensity.

> _No. Absolutely not. This is an us thing. Not a Diaz thing. Tell him he’s not allowed. He has been barred from writing notes and also from writing on parchment ever again. I will be contacting head of Ravenclaw house, and Rowena Ravenclaw herself._

Alas, Hermione’s gut feeling was reliable as always.

“That was fast, that note,” noted Stephan, “I also notice that the velocity of the notes have increased by about tenfold. Is he upset?”

“I just told him that you were interested in writing some notes as well,” said Hermione, “And I don’t think he’s reacting well.”

“Well, tell him I was only joking, I wouldn’t fancy another paper airplane to the head,” said Stephan, rubbing his afflicted temple with two fingers.

But Hermione doesn’t have enough time to write back to Sirius. Because just as she was finishing up her reply, another note plopped down before her.

“Oh dear,” commented Stephan. He was now successfully distracted from his homework, fully invested in the scene unfolding before him, “No, I don’t believe I will be finishing my Arithmancy tonight.”

Sirius’s next note was shorter, but equally petty.

> _Please inform Diaz that he is banned from this sacred note system, or I will be committing war crimes against all of Ravenclaw house._

_Swish._ Another parchment piece landed right on top of the note Hermione was already holding.

“Wow, it’s like a storm of notes. You must have really upset him,” grinned Stephan. His grin stretched even wider before he added, “Hurricane Sirius, we’ll call it.”

But before Hermione could reply to Stephan, he began laughing quietly to himself, for yet _another_ note had rained down onto their table. A few students around them looked at their table curiously, distracted by the sudden onslaught of enchanted parchment.

“Everyone’s beginning to notice!” whispered Hermione, eyeing their nearby neighbors apologetically, “I can’t blame them, I’d be so cross if someone else was distracting my studying time.”

“I’m sorry—this isn’t funny,” said Stephan, forcing down his laughter when he noticed Hermione’s expression of despair, “Not funny at all. Please, ignore me.” But his lips twitched, threatening to break out in another cackle.

Noting that this next note was longer than normal, Hermione more or less knew what she was getting into before she opened it.

> _A list on why you should not let Stephan Diaz write notes to you:_

> _1) Diaz is a menace. Self explanatory._

> _2) You think he speaks a lot? Imagine giving him parchment. He won’t be sending you notes, he’ll be sending you novels._

> _3) If you think this sounds fun because you like reading, imagine this: one hundred and fifty pieces of parchment paper, bound by loose twine, travelling throughout the castle. Our notes, light and airy, fly throughout the castle with grace. But Diaz’s written monstrosity? It lumbers among the corridors. It collides against the heads of innocents. Students. Professors. Dumbledore himself. And he’s old. Imagine the injuries. Imagine the number of heads his novels will concuss. And what will you be, Hermione? Will you be happy then? No. You will be a safety hazard._

> _4) It’d make me upset._

As mildly mortified Hermione was by this sudden bombardment of notes, she couldn’t help but feel somewhat (and _only_ somewhat) amused by this list.

Her amusement, however, was punctured just five minutes later when yet another note soared towards them with a vigor. Many students in the tables surrounding were now staring at her and Stephan’s table, likely annoyed with the constant snickering that Stephan wasn’t very good at containing.

“I’m so sorry, I’ll quiet down—sorry, sorry—”

Stephan was now apologizing to both Hermione and to the students around him that he was disturbing.

Sirius’s next note read:

> _Why you shouldn’t let Diaz write you notes: A Poem_
> 
> _Roses are red_
> 
> _Violets are blue_
> 
> _I’ll be blue too_
> 
> _If you betray me and let a Ravenclaw in on our secret tradition, and I will also never emotionally, spiritually, or mentally recover._

“Oh, I like this list,” nodded Stephan approvingly, taking a glance through the many pieces of parchment now sitting between them, “He’s missing a hyphen and some commas here and there, but he presents his arguments in an easy-to-read form. I rate it a solid eight out of ten.”

“Stephan, please don’t read these notes,” urged Hermione, reaching her hand forward for the list that was currently in his hand.

“Aw, damn,” said Stephan, but he handed her back the note, “I thought it’d be alright, given I’m the subject matter.”

“That is exactly why I don’t want you reading them—oh, _please—”_

This time, an entire roll of parchment was spiraling towards Hermione, which actually earned a couple of laughs from the students around them.

“Pince will toss us out if she sees any of this,” groaned Hermione.

“Oh, that’s alright. She’s tossed me out loads of times before,” said Stephan, “Did you know there was such thing as ‘reading too loudly?’”

Hermione only read the first line of Sirius’s next note before she rolled it right back up without bothering to finish the rest.

> _Why you shouldn’t let Diaz write you notes: A Series of Sonnets_

“You aren’t going to read it?” asked Stephan as Hermione simply shoved the roll of parchment into her bag, “He looked like he put a lot of effort into that one.”

“Did Flynn just recently cover popular English literature in Muggle Studies?” Hermione asked tiredly instead of answering Stephan’s question.

“Yes, she did. Why?” asked Stephan curiously. But Hermione didn’t reply to this question either.

She did, however, end up reading Sirius’s most recent note on her way back to the common room. Sirius, sitting by the fireplace with Remus, James, and Peter, was currently laughing at a joke that James just told.

He locked eyes with Hermione, who had many pieces of parchment clutched in her hand, and Hermione thought that she’d never seen Sirius so immediately frightened of her.

“Oh, this will be fun,” said James brightly just as Hermione stopped before them, arms crossed. Sirius, having somewhat recovered from his initial reaction, attempted to speak next.

“Hello, Hermione—”

“Sirius, I was _studying!_ Do you realize how much of a distraction you were? It’s a Sunday night!”

“And with that diplomatic exchange, we are off,” announced James, nodding graciously at Hermione. “Come along, lads. The dormitory awaits.”

“Sorry, Hermione, we should have stopped him,” apologized Remus as he stood from his armchair, his grin strongly indicating that he had personal input on Sirius’s sonnets.

Peter opened his mouth, likely about to say something incriminating, because James stepped on his foot the moment he attempted speaking. And then, the three friends went upstairs. 

"If you think _you're_ upset right now, Hermione, consider how _I_ feel," said Sirius. On the small table besides his armchair was a quill, a stack of loose parchment, and his Muggle Studies textbook. "Diaz was threatening the very means of our relationship."

"He was joking, Sirius," huffed Hermione, "And even if he wasn't, that's no reason for you to ambush me with notes!"

"Hermione, I sent you five pieces of parchment paper. You have to seriously redefine your definition of 'ambush,'" said Sirius. 

"This," said Hermione, holding up Sirius's scroll of sonnets, "Is not a _piece_ of parchment."

Sirius paused for a few seconds as he watched Hermione shake the scroll at him. He looked between the scroll and her face multiple times before speaking again.

"Well, did you like them?"

"I—Sirius, you _literally_ plagiarized Shakespeare verbatim!"

"I did not!" responded Sirius, looking at her in mock offense, "That was original content, that was. I bet you didn't even read them." He gave her an accusatory look.

"You copied down three of his most famous sonnets and replaced the pronouns with my name,” said Hermione flatly.

“Oh, you actually did read them,” said Sirius in tones of pleasant surprise, “Do you not appreciate a nice compliment, then?”

Sirius stared back at Hermione as she looked at him with increasing frustration, wearing an expression that suggested he was on the verge of laughter.

“What? I compared you to a summer’s day!”

“No, I don’t appreciate it when I’m studying, Sirius,” said Hermione firmly, “ _Especially_ when I’m in the library. I’m trying to concentrate, and your ridiculous notes distracted just about everyone in our section of the library.”

“Aw, come on. You’re really telling me you didn’t like them, not even one bit?” asked Sirius.

Hermione, unable to deny the fact that she had found the entire ordeal amusing—annoying and intrusive as the notes were—just looked down at Sirius with a wrinkled nose.

Sirius snorted, leaning back in his armchair in triumph when Hermione remained silent.

"Ha, you totally liked them."

"That’s not the point, Sirius!”

“Well, I had to get _my_ point across too, Hermione. I had to ensure you’d understand how soul-shattered I would be if you extended your tolerance to not just _one_ annoying boy, but _two.”_

While Sirius was smiling when he said this, Hermione detected the smallest note of sincere hurt. Of course, Hermione’s logical instinct was to _not_ find this as endearing as she did, but alas, logic did little to convince her emotions.

“Sirius, I was never planning on exchanging notes with Stephan,” informed Hermione with a sigh, “He suggested it as a joke. And even if he _were_ being serious, I wouldn’t have taken him up on the offer.”

For just a second, Hermione saw genuine relief flash in Sirius’s eyes. But before Hermione could even _think_ to consider the accuracy of her interpretation, the second had passed.

“So what you’re saying is, I hold a special and irreplaceable spot in your heart,” concluded Sirius sagely.

_“Sirius—”_

“Which one was your favorite?” asked Sirius excitedly, “Was it the list? Remus helped with the word choice.”

“I don’t _have_ a—did he really?” Hermione’s own curiosity interrupted her train of thought. “I was wondering why that section was so… Lyrical.”

“Ah, I knew you liked them. Of course you did, I sent them,” grinned Sirius. Hermione opened her mouth, but Sirius continued speaking. “Do you think you could sit down, now? It’s a bit strange having you talk down to me.”

Hermione did sit down. While she knew she still _looked_ frustrated, she wasn’t really. Not anymore, at least.

They had planned on working on Sirius’s Muggle Studies presentation due later that week, but they ended up chatting for quite a while instead. As much as Hermione wanted to tell herself that this was yet another piece of evidence that Sirius was endlessly distracting, she mostly found it difficult to admit just how easy it was to get lost in conversation with Sirius.

Most difficult of all to admit, however, was the fact that Hermione had indeed enjoyed the notes Sirius sent her.


	2. ch. 18-19: study date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey gang! for all of yall keeping up with this, sorry this took so long to get out!! exams are really kicking my ass this week. hopefully when things calm down (in like two weeks rip) i’ll have more content out for yall. as always, thanks so much for reading, and feel free to leave requests!
> 
> \--  
> context: In the midst of Easter holiday, Sirius discovers that Hermione has some really weird turn-ons.
> 
> stage of relationship: unlabeled relationship, first base
> 
> place in main story: between chapter 18 & chapter 19
> 
> theme song: want you bad by the offspring

When it came to his and Hermione’s budding relationship, Sirius honestly felt like he was an open book: he found just about everything about her absurdly attractive and especially enjoyed littering her neck with love bites. Easy and obvious. But if Sirius was an open book, then Hermione was a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle with no corner pieces. Because with every moment he spent with Hermione, he swore he would discover a revolutionary, ground-breaking fact about her.

Honestly, the fact that Hermione initiated any kisses at all was already completely opposite of what he expected of her—paired with the fact that Hermione actually met Sirius at _half-way?_ A mind-boggling concept.

With how often the pair of them spent on top of each other, Sirius was beginning to wonder how he’d survive classes starting back up. And with N.E.W.T.s coming up, he was beginning to wonder just how much difficulty he’d have focusing on his studies.

Especially when not even _studying_ was sacred to Hermione anymore.

Hermione managed to convince Sirius to study with her in the library one afternoon. Taking full advantage of the empty library, Hermione chose a particularly large table to spread out all of her work, which forced Sirius to sit across from her rather than next to. Torture, in other words.

“You should really try sorting all of your work out in front of you,” recommended Hermione smartly as she organized her assignments by due date, “You can better visualize what should be done first.”

“I think sorting your work requires having started said work to begin with,” said Sirius, looking down at rolls of blank parchment. Hermione shot him a purposeful look, shaking her head.

“Well, it’s good that I’ve gotten you here in the library, then. You can start with Runes, first. That way I can help you—no, you cannot look off of my translation,” added Hermione the moment Sirius opened his mouth to reply.

“How do you always know what I’m about to say? This is so dumb,” complained Sirius, “I don’t get any perks at all?”

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. “Perks for what, exactly?”

“I’m choosing to rescind that last comment of mine,” said Sirius, wary of the way her eyes were slowly narrowing, “And I will now dedicate all focus to my Runes assignment.”

And so began the unbearable silence. Sirius didn’t normally find studying to be quite this torturous, but the fact that he was studying with _Hermione_ made him about ten times as more distracted. So when Sirius began to notice that Hermione was looking up at him quite often, he first thought it was because she was ensuring that he was studying.

But as he began to really focus, he noticed Hermione continuing these glances, and sometimes even staring. Certain that he had messed up, Sirius furrowed his brow as he met Hermione’s gaze. She blinked as they locked eyes, as if lost in thought.

“What?” asked Sirius, looking between the textbook and his parchment, “Did I translate something incorrectly?”

“Oh—no, you didn’t,” said Hermione quickly, shaking her head, “It’s nothing.”

She quickly looked back down at her own work. Sirius didn’t think much of this and returned to his Charms assignment.

Just minutes later, however, he could feel her looking at him again. Sirius flicked his gaze up, pausing mid-sentence to see Hermione chewing on the tip of her quill.

“Can I help you?” asked Sirius with a raised eyebrow, “Does it really stress you out that much, watching me answer these in a way that isn’t completely optimized?”

Hermione shook her head again, suddenly blinking a couple times as she sat up straight.

“You haven’t gotten anything wrong yet.” She then turned a page, and then turned it back, as if she was just attempting to busy her hands.

“It’s just not very often that I see you actually studying,” said Hermione lightly, “It’s a nice change from having to hold your hand through your Runes translations.”

“That was _one_ time where I mistranslated the word ‘biscuit’ for ‘pasta,’” frowned Sirius, “As naturally gifted as I am, I _do_ study. You just wouldn’t know because you’re always off studying with Diaz.”

“Well, _that’s_ just an exaggeration.”

“How? You’ve told me on multiple occasions how much you don’t like studying with me.”

The conversation more or less ended there, and they both went back to their respective assignments. But from the corner of his eye, Sirius _swore_ that he kept catching the occasional glance from Hermione.

In his mind, Sirius formed a hypothesis—a hypothesis so ridiculous that Sirius immediately shot it down.

 _There’s no way, that’s ridiculous,_ thought Sirius, _Even for Hermione, that’s just stupid._

 _You never know, you’ve been wrong about a lot of things this week,_ he then reminded himself, _Just give it a go._

Sirius has been told many times that he was dramatic and entirely too confident, but no one ever mentioned how _suave_ he was about it all—one of his most overlooked traits, surely. No matter how ridiculous and stupid the task was, as long as Sirius put his mind to it, he could usually pull it off pretty effortlessly.

Such was the case with his experimentation of his hypothesis: Hermione actually found concentration and studying _attractive._

Sirius returned to his work, but with a purpose—he would glide his fingertips over the text, cross check his answers with multiple sources, and carefully re-ink his quill. He even furrowed his brow in concentration as he ran his hand through his hair, a gesture that he learned was eye-catching years ago.

As he had to maintain a guise of focus, he didn’t really check to see if Hermione was watching him. In fact, he had gotten so caught up in his own act that he started to _actually_ study, and was caught a bit off-guard when Hermione spoke up.

“Sirius, can you help me get a book?” Sirius, who was in the midst of reading, looked up from his book. She looked mostly normal and not at all flustered, leading Sirius to believe that he was, in fact, a moron.

“Erm, sure. And why do you request my assistance, exactly?”

“It’s on a high shelf,” said Hermione, “I don’t think I’d be able to reach it.”

“Oh, well, of course,” said Sirius, sitting up a bit straighter in his seat. He wasn’t sure why, but doing ordinary tasks like this for her made him feel a strange sense of pride. “Yeah, sure. I forget how hard it is for those of below-average height.”

Normally, Hermione would have threatened to leave entirely after one of Sirius’s height-related insults. But she must have really wanted that book, because she didn’t even roll her eyes at him and just stood to guide Sirius through the library.

The book was located in a shelf tucked away in one of the furthers corners of the library, apparently—the walk there took nearly three entire minutes. Hermione finally stopped just as they were about the reach the end of a row, turning to face Sirius.

“Well, which one is it?” asked Sirius, looking up between the shelf in front of him, then turning to look at the shelf opposite, “Do you just have the location of every book memorized—”

Sirius was often wrong about a lot of things, ranging from his schoolwork (not all _that_ often) and how previous views on Hermione’s past romances (very often, and upsettingly so). So Sirius wasn’t sure if he were proud of himself or baffled at the fact that his hypothesis was completely accurate—because Hermione had suddenly grabbed him by the front of his leather jacket and pulled him down to her so rapidly that their teeth almost clashed.

“Fuck, Her—” Sirius managed against her lips, but his words were quickly swallowed by Hermione’s kiss.

And, well, that was really all the convincing Sirius ever needed.

With a _thud_ , Sirius pushed Hermione against the bookshelf behind her, immediately taking control of the kiss—a common theme, actually—Hermione had no problem initiating, yes, but she almost always quickly caved whenever Sirius leaned into her. Which drove him mad just about every single time.

And yet, even as she let Sirius guide her, murmuring soft moans between every other breath, Sirius could feel just how much _needier_ she was than normal. Her grasp on the front of his leather jacket was unrelenting, and she kept tugging Sirius closer against her, as if being any closer was even possible.

Ever since their kiss in the Head Boy and Girl’s common room, Sirius had taken full advantage of the fact that Hermione didn’t mind, well, being _handled._ Of course, he was still careful, but he was now much more purposeful with his actions—he’d lace his fingers into her hair at the nape of her neck and wait for her to gasp as he tightened his grip. He’d grab her by her waist, then her hips, fingertips digging into the fabric that separated their skin to feel the way her breathing would halt, just for a second.

And she loved it, Sirius knew, but not as much as Sirius did. There was no way, because he was completely obsessed with making her feel _good._

With his hand cupping, stilling her face, he deepened their kiss. Gently and teasingly, he bit on her bottom lip, something he didn’t think he ever did with her before. At once, Sirius felt her entire body react and resurge at the new element. Desperately, she wrapped her hands around his neck, simultaneously bringing him closer and pressing against him.

And, in her enthusiasm, she returned the gesture—which would have been absolutely fine and incredibly hot if not for the fact that she carried on with a bit too _much_ enthusiasm—and bit down on his bottom lip, _hard._

Sharply, Sirius cursed as he jerked back instinctively. It really didn’t hurt _that_ bad, but he just wasn’t expecting it.

At once, Hermione snapped out of her previous state of dazed desire.

Her eyes widened as she watched him touch a hand up to his lip, pulling her eyebrows together in a look of immediate guilt.

“Sirius, I’m—I’m so sorry—”

“It’s okay,” said Sirius, perhaps too quickly, because Hermione blinked as if he had cursed again.

“Are you okay?” asked Hermione anxiously. Instantly, all desire and passion had vanished in lieu of immediate concern, and Sirius deeply wished that he had just kept his mouth shut. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean—”

“Hey, I’m fine. You’re fine,” reassured Sirius with a light laugh, “Just took me off-guard.”

Hermione still didn’t look convinced, and Sirius knew that it’d be idiotic to try and reinitiate. But, now knowing that snogging in the library was absolutely on the table, Sirius wasn’t really that upset.

 _This opens_ so _many doors._

So he pulled back, just a bit, leaning his left forearm against the bookshelf behind her so that their faces were still close. Hermione, despite still looking extremely apologetic and mildly embarrassed, shifted as he did so. He smirked a bit when he realized he could feel her breath catch.

_Hopefully I always get this reaction out of her._

“So, what happened to avoiding public spaces?” asked Sirius lowly with a small grin, dragging his thumb over his bottom lip—the area seemed undamaged.

“This isn’t public,” frowned Hermione, eyes still on Sirius’s bottom lip, “I very specifically brought you to the most secluded section of the library—a library that’s only occupied by us, might I add.”

“Still, I wouldn’t expect it from you,” said Sirius honestly, “I almost thought I was imagining it, too.”

Hermione blinked at him, finally diverting her gaze back into his. “Imagining what?”

“You know.” Sirius raised his eyebrows at her. “The fact that you find it attractive when I study.”

With Hermione’s expression, Sirius knew that he was about to have a _lot_ of material to tease Hermione with for the next few upcoming weeks.

“I— _what_ —that’s _ridiculous—”_ sputtered Hermione, looking scandalized as she flushed a deep pink, “What does that even _mean?”_

“What, you think I didn’t notice you staring at me?” said Sirius, grinning as she continued to sputter indignantly, “Honestly, I’m not even surprised. One, I’m cut from the fabric of the gods. Two, of _course_ you think it’s hot watching people study—”

“That’s not true!” retorted Hermione. Sirius knew he really shouldn’t be teasing her when she was already so embarrassed for chomping down on his lip, but he absolutely could not help himself.

“Then why’d you pull me all the way over here in the middle of our precious studies?” asked Sirius, “The only way I’d be able to pull you away from studying is if it was _my_ studying that was distracting you.”

“It’s not that you were _studying,”_ said Hermione stubbornly, “I just—I don’t know! I don’t see you like that often, all—all _focused_ and _responsible—”_

“Hey, I’m _plenty_ responsible—”

“And I didn’t think you’d _mind_ ,” continued on Hermione, “I just thought it was a good look on you, not being ridiculously immature for once.”

Hermione said this with a tone of forced cheek. From this and the way she kept glancing off to the side, Sirius knew that she was just trying to play off how truly flustered she felt.

“What are you, mental? Of course I wouldn’t _mind_ ,” said Sirius lightly, attempting to backtrack, “And you don’t have to sound so defensive, you know.”

“I’m going to be defensive when you make fun of me,” replied Hermione with a small huff, which Sirius likely shouldn’t have found as cute as he did, given the context.

“I didn’t mean to make _fun_ of you,” said Sirius, almost offended that she thought that he had the capacity or willingness to shame what she liked. “I wouldn’t ever do that to you. Why would I tease you for finding me attractive?”

Hermione didn’t reply, apparently unable to think of a response. She just bit down on her lip nervously as she stared at the ground, and Sirius finally realized that he really should _not_ have joked around with her when she was already so anxious.

Sirius pulled back so that he wasn’t leaning over her anymore, but stayed close to her still. Gently, he took her chin in his hand, tilting her face up so that she’d meet his eye, which she did so reluctantly.

“I don’t ever _mind_ anything you do, and especially not when it involves anything like this,” promised Sirius firmly, “When I noticed you staring at me, and I thought for literally just a _second_ that you _might_ think it’s attractive when I’m focused, I started to study as if I had just learned how to read.”

At last, Hermione smiled, albeit still hesitantly.

“I was actually wondering why you became so suddenly concentrated,” said Hermione, “Which, of course, just worsened my distraction.”

“Hey, I’m happy to distract,” said Sirius, dropping his hand when he felt that she wouldn’t be tempted to look away anymore. “That’s a huge compliment, actually. Perhaps the best I’ve gotten, seeing as I successfully distracted Hermione Granger from her studies.”

Hermione smiled again, wider this time. “Well, it certainly won’t happen again, now that I know you purposefully distracted me.”

“What, like you’d be able to resist my overwhelming charisma?”

She laughed, and Sirius relaxed a bit knowing that she was no longer uncomfortable. He hated the idea of ever making her feel like that, especially when discomfort was _all_ Sirius made her feel for their first few months of knowing each other.

They returned to their studies soon after, which Sirius supposed he shouldn’t have been too surprised nor upset by given their previous topic of conversation. He was also fairly certain that she was pointedly refusing to look up at Sirius as they continued on with their work, but he didn’t mind. That way, _he_ could be the one giving the occasional stare, and all without being noticed or reprimanded.

As she worked, Sirius began to understand Hermione’s previous fixation—she’d cutely suck the tip of her quill when she paused to think, pursing her lips in thought as she carefully wrote and rewrote answers. She even stopped to pull her hair into a ponytail at one point, an action that Sirius didn’t think should have been as attractive as it was.

No, he likely wouldn’t be finishing his Runes assignment, not when he could be looking at her instead. All Sirius could think about was how eternally grateful he’d always be that Hermione Granger, of all people, ever decided to find Sirius attractive.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks so much for reading! if you have any ideas for me, feel free to drop it in a comment below! i’m open to requests, and i reply to every comment. <3  
> \--  
> trans rights are human rights.


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